The present invention relates to a control cabinet for the installation of electronic equipment. The control cabinet may include a bottom, wall parts which are able to be disassembled, at least one door and a top. Devices for securing the equipment, particularly withdrawable mount fixtures, are arranged in the control cabinet, and cable lead-throughs are provided on the control cabinet. The present invention further relates to a method for assembling the control cabinet.
To protect against fires, spaces in which powerful electronic equipment such as, for example, network servers or modem cabinets, are set up which should meet special safety standards (e.g., DIN [German Industrial Standard] 4102). Provision should be made so that the space is able to withstand a fire for a certain specified time without considerable effects of the fire being noted outside of the space.
Such spaces, if they do not satisfy the demands for object protection and fire protection, should for the most part be disassembled with considerable expenditure and equipped with an air-conditioning system. In the event the installation site of the equipment is frequently changed, a new space should be prepared each time.
Such spaces should fulfill certain requirements for object protection (access protection, break-in protection). To indicate the capacity for resistance against unauthorized access to the electronic devices, norms exist (e.g., DIN 18103ET 3) as to how a space is to be constructed. In this case, the same problems occur analogously as above when the installation site is changed frequently.
A space should also be provided for the installation of electronic equipment offer protection against humidity, spray water, dust, vandalism and theft.
To permit easy transportation and assembly of electronic equipment, electronics cabinets are available which are equipped with withdrawable mount fixtures for securing the equipment. Such cabinets are provided with cable lead-throughs for connecting the installed equipment to the outside world. They are frequently provided with built-in ventilation devices and voltage sources.
The present invention is directed to providing an exemplary control cabinet device and/or exemplary method which meets the aforesaid requirements for fire protection, and which protects the installed equipment from unauthorized access.
An exemplary embodiment and/or exemplary method of the present invention is directed to providing that the bottom, wall parts, top and doors are produced from fire-resistant material. An air-conditioning system is provided for regulating the temperature in the control cabinet. The air-conditioning system is provided with ventilation openings that close automatically in the event of a fire. The cable lead-throughs are constructed as fire barriers which act in a self-sealing manner in case of fire. The doors of the control cabinet are provided with an electromechanical lock works which can be unlocked by an actuation device mounted outside on the control cabinet. The doors of the control cabinet are provided with seals acting in a self-sealing manner in the event of fire. When using a control cabinet according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a space disassembly (or enlargement) is unnecessary, since all the devices are hermetically partitioned.
In addition, devices can be provided to monitor and record door openings, access attempts, fire events, the voltage supply, the correct functioning of the air-conditioning system and the temperature in the control cabinet, the devices possessing suitable sensors in the control cabinet and being connected to means for switching off the voltage supply of the equipment in the event of danger. In an alternative embodiment, the device(s) can be configured to send out a warning signal if there is an excessive temperature in the control cabinet, and then switch off a voltage supply of the electronic equipment in the control cabinet if there is a further excessive temperature. In an alternative embodiment, the control cabinet may be connected to a data line and/or a telephone line for transmitting a warning signal in a dangerous condition. In an alternative embodiment, the control cabinet can be connected to an acoustical signal transmitted for transmitting a warning signal in a dangerous condition. The doors can be unlocked mechanically by an emergency key in case of fire.
When assembling a control cabinet during the operation of equipment that is arranged in a separate apparatus rack, provision is made to lift the apparatus rack, to push the bottom of the control cabinet underneath, to assemble control-cabinet parts, to provide the fire-barrier frames set into the cabinet parts with fire-proof material, and to insert the cable sets leading to the outside into the fire-barrier frames. In this way, equipment can be installed in a control cabinet according to the present invention without having to interrupt operation.
The fire-barrier frames on the control-cabinet parts are constructed such that the cables can be led through in the open state (that is, when the control cabinet is open and/or disassembled). In an exemplary embodiment and/or exemplary method, the fire-barrier frames are set into the side parts, the top or the doors, and after introducing the cables, are closed by a metal bar on the respective opposite cabinet part when putting the cabinet together. In a further embodiment, the fire barrier includes a frame open to one side into which a forming material and at least one cable are insertable so that the at least one cable already connected can be installed, and at least one cutout for accommodating the fire barrier is provided on at least one part of the control cabinet.